as in erupted
to develop suddenly and violently
in the wake of news reports of deaths from the flu, panic broke out, and there was a mad rush for flu shots
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Recent Examples of broken out
In 1986, Turner launched the Goodwill Games, an international competition meant to bypass the Cold War fights that had broken out over the Olympics.
—
David Folkenflik, NPR, 6 May 2026
Early in her tenure, The Post organized a Zoom call with its staff and employees from its sister papers to review safety protocols during the George Floyd protests that had broken out in Denver in the summer of 2020.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
The clash between Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has broken out into public view at times.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Like his sister, Norm MacLean (Moises Arias) has also broken out of the vaults and come face to face with the Wasteland.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
YouTube generated more than $60 billion in revenue for 2025, including both advertising and subscriptions, the first time parent company Alphabet has broken out total revenue for the platform.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
In Minneapolis, confrontations have broken out and multiple protesters have been arrested.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026
Heineman, who was an afterthought for many in the Dobson trade, has broken out as a complementary top-six contributor.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
But soon enough, the tiny fire truck has lost its wheels and a fight has broken out over whose Care Bears keychain is cooler, though neither of my children has ever owned a key.
—Mandy Len Catron, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
David Folkenflik, NPR, 6 May 2026
Early in her tenure, The Post organized a Zoom call with its staff and employees from its sister papers to review safety protocols during the George Floyd protests that had broken out in Denver in the summer of 2020.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
The clash between Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has broken out into public view at times.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Like his sister, Norm MacLean (Moises Arias) has also broken out of the vaults and come face to face with the Wasteland.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
YouTube generated more than $60 billion in revenue for 2025, including both advertising and subscriptions, the first time parent company Alphabet has broken out total revenue for the platform.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
In Minneapolis, confrontations have broken out and multiple protesters have been arrested.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026
Heineman, who was an afterthought for many in the Dobson trade, has broken out as a complementary top-six contributor.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
But soon enough, the tiny fire truck has lost its wheels and a fight has broken out over whose Care Bears keychain is cooler, though neither of my children has ever owned a key.
—Mandy Len Catron, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken out
Verb
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Bulgaria won 312 votes from the audience as the crowd erupted in cheers and confetti.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
16 May 2026
-
But when the Gaga music started playing, the crowd erupted with the kind of hysteria once reserved for Beatlemania.—
Maxwell Adler,
Vanity Fair,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Though the use of AI has exploded since ChatGPT was released in 2022, the rise in productivity over the past five years likely cannot be fully attributed to AI.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
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The fire then spread to a nearby dust silo, which exploded.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broken out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken%20out. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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